by Karen McConnaughey
We came from the United States, and I love my country dearly. I will never forsake it nor give up my citizenship, or blame the U.S.A. for many of the problems in the world even though it seems as if lots of people do, because I know it is not true. Likewise, it makes me feel very sad when the American media says things about Mexico that are not true.
I have been reading lots of information lately to see why that is and recently ran across an interesting article by Adamaire King, who is the owner of Connoisseur's Travel in the Greater Chicago area. She began her article by saying that “Mexico is in a unique position to reap many of the benefits of the decline of the US economy. [However]…In order to not violate NAFTA and other agreements, the U.S.A. cannot use direct protectionism, so it is content to allow the media to play this protectionist role.”
Ms. King went on to say that over the last year,
“the U.S. media has portrayed Mexico as being on the brink of economic collapse and civil war. Americans were constantly bombarded with information that the Mexican people are either beheaded, kidnapped, poor, corrupt, or narco-traffickers, or that all of us have swine flu!”
Of course this is not true. First, there are bad people all over the world, but just like it doesn’t mean that all the people who live in the United States or Canada are bad, it also means that all the people who live in Mexico are not like that either! In Mexico, as everywhere, there are millions of people who are professional, decent, upstanding and outstanding human beings! Also, we’re not all wearing masks to escape the swine flu!
And, actually, from the way the stories read, you would think that the hundreds of thousands of North Americans who live in Mexico go to bed in fear every night, wondering if they would live to see the morning. I mean, why would they do that? Would they really move to Mexico to live like that? Moreover, some Americans think that we expats have to dodge bullets each time we walk out our front doors. Could any person living in Mexico tell me if there is a place where they actually have to do that…even at the border? However, it’s hard to fault Americans or Canadians for believing it since this is how it is being reported. Nothing could be further from the truth. As my friend Yvonne, who lives in Ajijic, said, “The violence advertised by the news media is to scare people from coming down here and spending their money. I feel safer here than anywhere in the US, even at night!” That sentiment is echoed by many who live in the Lake Chapala area.
Clay McAdam: “I would like to share my impressions and feelings from the perspective of a retired Edmonton police officer who has chosen to live permanently in Mexico. We feel perfectly safe walking in the streets of Ajijic at any time of day or night. It never ceases to amaze me when walking down the street and being greeted with an hola or buenos dias, by people whom we do not know. Not since I was child in a small town in southwestern Saskatchewan have I been greeted in this manner. The North American news media has taken a situation that is occurring in the border areas and is blowing it totally out of proportion as far as I am concerned. My advice is to come to Lake Chapala and see what it is like to live in a happy and enjoyable environment.”
Jerry Pounds: “My personal feeling is that Lake Chapala Mexico is as safe a place as one will find anywhere. I decided the second day that I was in Mexico (with you wonderful folks at FOCUS on MEXICO) that I would spend as much of the rest of my life in the Lake Chapala area as possible. Two years later I think of myself as Mexican/American and am very happy with my decision. As soon as I can finish business obligations in the states, I will live full time in Ajijic and have absolutely no fear of violence in Mexico. In summary, Lake Chapala is much closer to Andy Griffith's Mayberry, as far as safety goes, than any place I have been in the states, in Europe and the rest of Mexico.”
Sheila Turner: “I have always lived in large cities in the U.S., and I am no stranger to crime. Here, I live alone and there has been no time that I have felt insecure or fearful. All I can say is "It's a great life." In summary, I have no idea if the American media is just lazy or if they have an agenda, but I cannot sit idly by and allow all of Mexico to be painted with such a broad brush. Lake Chapala Mexico is, indeed, safe.”
Another opinion is expressed by Carl Meadows (ETC Services, an organization that has been coming to Mexico for over 40 years!), “Is the media really telling us that there is no ‘safe haven’ left in the entire country? Wow! However, if you watch the videos and listen to the media’s commentary, that’s the only conclusion that you could possibly come to—that all of Mexico is one big war zone. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Wow again!”
Wow is right! Bill and I live 15 hours from the border, and we have never felt unsafe here even for a moment. And, no, I’m not delusional or in denial. Mexico does have a drug problem. But so does America and most of the other countries around the world. But, in Mexico it’s mostly concentrated in border towns. You have to take care and be aware no matter where you live or where you’re going. As I said before, there are bad people everywhere. However, those of us who live in Lake Chapala, Mexico, are puzzled about the hype over anything bad that happens in Mexico. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so damaging to Mexico’s economy. As one report stated, “As the story evolved from a pattern, to a trend, to ultimately a crisis, it gained ominous-sounding series names that did little to clarify its true complexity: ‘Mexico Under Siege’ (LA Times), ‘Mexico at War’ (Washington Post), ‘The War Next Door’ (CNN), etc. “ With headlines like these is it any wonder that, according to experts, towns like Ajijic, Lake Chapala, San Miguel Allende, and small resorts like Playas de Rosarito and Tulum, Mexico, are rising in numbers as unintended casualties: the result of journalists and foreigners alike using labels as a means to portray Mexico as a whole. Places that are both literally and figuratively a world away from the northern border of Mexico.
Moreover, a report entitled “Baja (California) Media Analysis” by Scott Hanning and Jeffrey Werner, Emerson Strategic Communications Group, stated, “One critical fact remains clear, however: there is no evidence or history of tourists being harmed by cartel-related violence. Further, the threat of so-called “spillover” violence into the border states that spawned a great deal of coverage in the pre-April period has failed to materialize. Nor has Mexico become the failed state so vigorously predicted earlier in the year. None of these facts are actively reported to the American public.”
Believe me when I say that most of the inland and resort destinations in Mexico are extremely safe, and the wonderful people of Mexico are waiting with open arms to welcome you to their special part of the world. And, here we are in your own backyard with easy access and a lower cost of living. It doesn’t get any better than that!
As Linda Ellerbee says in her article “The Truth about Mexico…”
“And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but—in general—Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you smile at them, they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the street, they greet you back. If you try to speak even a little Spanish, they tend to treat you as though you were fluent. Or at least not an idiot. I have had taxi drivers track me down after leaving my wallet or cell phone in their cab. I have had someone run out of a store to catch me because I have overpaid by twenty cents. I have been introduced to and come to love a people who celebrate a day dedicated to the dead as a recognition of the cycles of birth and death and birth—and the 15th birthday of a girl, an important rite in becoming a woman—with the same joy. Too much of the noise you're hearing about how dangerous it is to come to Mexico is just that—noise. But the media love noise, and too many journalists currently making it don't live here."
As Ben Franklin says, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” And…please!...take the media with a grain of salt—In fact, take several grains of salt and a lime…with tequila. Maybe that will help you get over the pessimism the media is reporting on a daily basis, and then you can get on with your vacation and visit one of the most friendly places on earth…Lake Chapala!
Seeing is believing. Join a Focus on Mexico 8-day Educational Tour and find out for yourself that there’s a slice of paradise 15 hours from the border with a low cost of living, temperate climate and warm, welcoming people. Be among other Americans and Canadians who came here to snatch up a piece of heaven before the rest of the Baby Boomers arrive!
Hasta pronto! See you soon!